On April 4, 2008, Le Ponant, a luxury cruise ship carrying 30 passengers including 22 French, was heading for the Mediterranean when it was stormed at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden by a dozen Somali pirates. Negotiations began ...See moreOn April 4, 2008, Le Ponant, a luxury cruise ship carrying 30 passengers including 22 French, was heading for the Mediterranean when it was stormed at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden by a dozen Somali pirates. Negotiations began immediately between the shipowner, advised by the GIGN and DGSE, and the heavily armed hostage-takers.
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